Saxophone Colossus (Rudy Van Gelder Remaster)

Saxophone Colossus (Rudy Van Gelder Remaster)

After some great side work with Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and The Modern Jazz Quartet, as well as few excellent albums as a band leader, Sonny Rollins became a jazz giant with 1956’s Saxophone Colossus. He’s front and center from the get-go, leading a quartet through his signature “St. Thomas,” which melds calypso rhythms with his singular style of extemporaneous riffing. Pure elegance follows, punctuated by a landmark version of “Moritat” (“Mack the Knife”), where he effortlessly turns the Three Penny Opera tune inside out.

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